JP2022161097A - Control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide technique capable of restraining consumption of electrical power by changing the condition of an alighting restriction device according to whether or not any occupant exists within a vehicle.SOLUTION: Alighting limit processing includes at least one of an alarm process for opening operation of a door and an opening operation restriction process of restricting the opening operation of the door. A vehicle control device determines whether or not any occupant exists within the vehicle on the basis of a first information which is information about whether or not the vehicle has travelled and a second information which is information about whether or not opening/closing operation for the door has been performed. The vehicle control device sets a condition of the alighting restriction device to a first condition when it is determined that some occupant exists within the vehicle, or sets the condition of the alighting restriction device to a second condition when it is determined that no occupant exists within the vehicle. The first condition is a condition that consumes electrical power, receiving supply of the electrical power from an electric power unit, and the second condition is a condition that a consumption of the electrical power is smaller compared with the first condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device that is configured to perform predetermined processing on an occupant who is about to get out of a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a control device configured to execute a process of restricting a passenger from getting off when there is a moving object approaching the vehicle while the passenger is about to get off the vehicle (for example, See Patent Document 1.). For example, the getting-off restriction processing includes alarm processing for a door opening operation and/or opening operation restriction processing for restricting the door opening operation.

The getting-off restriction process is performed using a "sound generator (including an amplifier and a speaker), a door lock device, etc." mounted on the vehicle. For example, one conventional control device (hereinafter referred to as a "conventional device") executes a process of outputting a warning message from a sound generator as alarm processing. Further, the conventional device executes a process of controlling the door lock device to change the door from the unlocked state to the locked state as the opening operation restriction process. Note that the sound generating device, the door lock device, and the like are devices that execute the getting-off restriction process, and henceforth, they are collectively referred to as the "get-off restriction device."

JP 2017-035946 A

A vehicle occupant normally exits the vehicle after turning an engine start switch (also called an "ignition switch") to the OFF state. In consideration of this, in the conventional device, even when the engine start switch is in the off state, the getting-off restriction device is in a state in which it can operate by receiving power from the vehicle's power supply device (e.g., battery). . Such a state is hereinafter referred to as an "on state (or standby state)". Therefore, the conventional device can execute the getting-off restriction process even in a situation where the engine start switch is in the OFF state.

As described above, regardless of the situation, the exit restraint device is in the ON state. The power supply continues to supply power to the deboarding limiter even after the occupant has disembarked. Therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption of the battery increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of reducing power consumption by changing the state of a deboarding restriction device depending on whether or not a passenger is present in the vehicle. be.

A vehicle control device in one or more embodiments includes:
a power supply device (50) mounted on a vehicle (10);
vehicle surroundings sensors (11, 12) configured to acquire vehicle surroundings information including object information about objects present in the surroundings of the vehicle;
A getting-off restriction device (14, 15, 16) configured to execute a getting-off restriction process including at least one of an alarm process for opening the door of the vehicle and an opening operation restriction process for restricting the opening operation. a getting-off restriction device configured to be settable to either a first state or a second state;
A control unit (30) configured to cause the getting-off restricting device to execute the getting-off restricting process when it is determined that there is an object that the occupant should be aware of when getting off the vehicle based on the vehicle surrounding information. )When,
Prepare.
The first state is a state in which power is supplied from the power supply device and consumed. The second state is a state in which the power consumption is smaller than that in the first state.
The control unit is
Based on first information (XA), which is information about whether the vehicle has run, and second information, which is information about whether the door has been opened or closed, the determining whether an occupant is present in the vehicle;
setting the state of the getting-off restriction device to the first state when it is determined that the occupant is present in the vehicle;
The state of the getting-off restriction device is set to the second state when it is determined that the passenger is not present in the vehicle.

According to the above configuration, the getting-off restriction device is in the second state when no occupant is present in the vehicle. Since the power consumption of the getting-off restriction device is smaller than that in the first state, the power consumption of the power supply device can be suppressed.

A vehicle control device in one or more embodiments includes:
A switch (80) that is changed from an off state to an on state when the occupant begins driving the vehicle and is changed from the on state to the off state when the occupant finishes driving the vehicle. Further prepare.
The control unit is configured to determine whether the passenger is present in the first seat, which is the driver's seat.
The control unit, in a situation where the switch is in the off state,
When it is determined based on the first information and the second information that the vehicle is running and the door corresponding to the first seat is opened and closed, the occupant It is configured to determine that it does not exist on the seat.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not an occupant is present in the first seat.

In one or more embodiments, the control unit is configured to determine whether the occupant is present in a second seat other than the first seat, which is a driver's seat.
The control unit is
When it is determined based on the first information and the second information that the vehicle is running and the door corresponding to the second seat is opened and closed,
It is configured to determine that the passenger is not present in the second seat.

In one or more embodiments, the control unit comprises:
When it is determined based on the first information and the second information that the door corresponding to the second seat has been opened and closed without the vehicle running,
It is configured to determine that the passenger is present in the second seat.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not an occupant is present in the second seat.

In one or more embodiments, the control unit comprises:
counting the number of times the vehicle travels;
determining that the occupant is not present in the second seat when the determination that the occupant is present in the second seat is maintained even after the number of times of travel reaches a predetermined number of times. It is

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the erroneous determination that the occupant is present in the second seat from being maintained.

In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, names and/or symbols used in the embodiments are added in parentheses to configurations of the invention corresponding to the embodiments to be described later. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments defined by the names and/or symbols.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the figure which showed the vehicle to which the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on embodiment is applied. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control device; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a situation in which an object is approaching the vehicle from behind; It is the figure which showed the condition where the object passed the side of the vehicle. It is an example of an occupant flag stored in the non-volatile memory of the getting-off assistance ECU. 4 is a flow chart showing a "driving flag setting routine" executed by a CPU of an exit support ECU; 4 is a flowchart showing a "first occupant flag setting routine" executed by a CPU of an exit assistance ECU; 7 is a flow chart showing a "second occupant flag setting routine" executed by a CPU of an exit assist ECU; 4 is a flowchart showing a "state setting routine" executed by a CPU of an exit assistance ECU; 4 is a flowchart showing a "get-off restriction process execution routine" executed by a CPU of an get-off support ECU;

(Constitution)
A vehicle control device according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle control device is applied to the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. The vehicle 10 includes a plurality of radar sensors 11a-11e, a plurality of camera sensors 12a-12d, a plurality of door switches 13a-13d, a plurality of door lock devices 14a-14d, a display device 15, and a sound generator 16.

A plurality of radar sensors 11a to 11e are collectively referred to as "radar sensor 11". The plurality of camera sensors 12a-12d are collectively referred to as "camera sensors 12". A plurality of door switches 13a to 13d are collectively referred to as "door switches 13". A plurality of door lock devices 14a to 14d are collectively referred to as "door lock devices 14".

Each radar sensor 11 includes a radar transmitter/receiver and a signal processor (not shown). The radar transmitter/receiver radiates radio waves in the millimeter wave band (hereinafter referred to as "millimeter waves") and receives millimeter waves (that is, reflected waves) reflected by objects present within the radiation range. The signal processing unit calculates object information based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, the time from the transmission of the millimeter wave to the reception of the reflected wave, etc. . The object information is information about objects existing around the vehicle 10 . The object information includes the distance between the vehicle 10 and the object, the relative speed between the vehicle 10 and the object, the relative position (direction) of the object with respect to the vehicle 10, and the like. Objects in this specification include moving objects such as automobiles, pedestrians and bicycles, and fixed objects such as guardrails and fences.

The radar sensor 11 a is provided at the right corner portion of the front portion of the vehicle body 20 and mainly acquires object information of objects present in the front right area of the vehicle 10 . The radar sensor 11 b is provided at the center of the front portion of the vehicle body 20 and obtains object information of an object existing in a front area of the vehicle 10 . The radar sensor 11 c is provided at the left corner portion of the front portion of the vehicle body 20 and mainly acquires object information of objects present in the left front region of the vehicle 10 . The radar sensor 11 d is provided at the right corner portion of the rear portion of the vehicle body 20 and mainly acquires object information of objects present in the right rear region of the vehicle 10 . The radar sensor 11 e is provided at the left corner portion of the rear portion of the vehicle body 20 and mainly acquires object information of objects present in the left rear area of the vehicle 10 .

Each of the camera sensors 12 is, for example, a digital camera incorporating an imaging device such as a CCD (charge coupled device) or CIS (CMOS image sensor). Each camera sensor 12 acquires image data of the surroundings of the vehicle 10 at a predetermined frame rate. Each of the camera sensors 12 may determine the presence or absence of an object based on the image data and calculate object information.

The camera sensor 12 a is provided substantially in the center of the front bumper 21 in the vehicle width direction, and acquires image data in front of the vehicle 10 . A camera sensor 12 b is provided on the right side door mirror 23 and acquires image data of the right side and the right rear side of the vehicle 10 . A camera sensor 12 c is provided on the left side door mirror 24 and acquires image data of the left side and the left rear side of the vehicle 10 . A camera sensor 12 d is provided on the wall of the rear trunk 22 of the vehicle body 20 and acquires image data behind the vehicle 10 .

In addition, "the radar sensor 11 and the camera sensor 12" may be generically called a "vehicle periphery sensor." Note that the vehicle 10 may include other sensors (for example, ultrasonic sensors and/or LiDAR, etc.) as vehicle surrounding sensors.

Door switches 13a-13d are provided on doors 25a-25d, respectively. Each of the door switches 13 outputs an ON signal (high level signal) when the corresponding door is opened, and outputs an OFF signal (low level signal) when the corresponding door is closed. .

Door lock devices 14a-14d are provided on doors 25a-25d, respectively. Each of the door lock devices 14 can change the state of the corresponding door between the locked state and the unlocked state. Therefore, each of the door lock devices 14 can restrict the opening operation of the corresponding door or permit the opening operation of the corresponding door.

The display device 15 is a multi-information display provided in front of the driver's seat. The display device 15 displays various information (warning signs to be described later) in addition to measured values such as vehicle speed and engine speed. A head-up display may be employed as the display device 15 .

The audio generator 16 includes an amplifier, a speaker, and the like. The amplifier generates an audio signal and drives a speaker based on the generated audio signal.

The "door lock device 14, the display device 15, and the sound generator 16" are devices that execute a getting-off restriction process, which will be described later, so they may be collectively referred to as a "get-off restriction device".

As shown in FIG. 2 , the vehicle control device includes an exit support ECU 30 and a drive ECU 40 . These ECUs are electric control units having microcomputers as main parts, and are connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) 90 so as to be able to transmit and receive information to each other. In this specification, a microcomputer includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, nonvolatile memory, an interface (I/F), and the like. The CPU implements various functions by executing instructions (programs, routines) stored in the ROM. For example, the exit assist ECU 30 includes a microcomputer including a CPU 30a, a ROM 30b, a RAM 30c, an interface (I/F) 30d, a nonvolatile memory 30e, and the like.

The drive ECU 40 can change the torque generated by the engine 41 by driving an engine actuator (not shown). Therefore, the drive ECU 40 can control the driving force of the vehicle 10 by controlling the engine actuator.

It should be noted that the state of the engine 41 is changed according to the operation of the engine start switch 80 . The engine start switch 80 is sometimes called an "ignition switch" or a "vehicle start switch". Hereinafter, the engine start switch 80 will simply be referred to as "start switch 80".

The start switch 80 is a switch operated by the driver when the driver starts or ends driving the vehicle 10 . Each time the start switch 80 is pressed, the state of the start switch 80 alternates between the on state and the off state. The state of the drive source of vehicle 10 (engine 41 in this example) is changed according to the state of start switch 80 . When starting to drive the vehicle 10, the driver presses the start switch 80 to change the state of the start switch 80 from off to on. The engine 41 is thereby started. When the driver finishes driving the vehicle 10, the driver presses the start switch 80 to change the state of the start switch 80 from the ON state to the OFF state. As a result, the engine 41 is stopped.

If the vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle, the drive ECU 40 can control the drive force generated by either one or both of the "internal combustion engine and electric motor" as the drive source. Furthermore, when the vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle, the drive ECU 40 can control the drive force generated by the electric motor as the drive source.

When the vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, when the start switch 80 is turned on, the wiring connecting the battery and the electric motor mounted on the vehicle is changed from the disconnection state to the connection state. This starts the electric motor as the drive source. On the other hand, when the start switch 80 is turned off, the wiring is changed from the connected state to the disconnected state. This causes the motor to stop.

The vehicle control device includes a power supply device 50 . The power supply device 50 includes a battery, an alternator that generates power by rotation of the engine 41, and the like. The power supply device 50 is adapted to supply power to electrical loads within the vehicle 10 . The electric power of the power supply device 50 is supplied to the electrical loads in the vehicle 10 via two lines of wiring (first wiring 51 and second wiring 52).

The first wiring 51 connects the power supply device 50 and the drive ECU 40 . When the state of the start switch 80 is changed from the OFF state to the ON state while the engine 41 is stopped, the switch 51a on the first wiring 51 is changed from the disconnection state to the connection state. Accordingly, power is supplied from the power supply device 50 to the drive ECU 40 . The drive ECU 40 is activated, thereby starting the engine 41 .

On the other hand, when the state of the start switch 80 is changed from the ON state to the OFF state while the engine 41 is operating, the switch 51a on the first wiring 51 is changed from the connected state to the disconnected state. Electric power is no longer supplied from the power supply device 50 to the drive ECU 40 . The operation of the drive ECU 40 is stopped. Therefore, the operation of the engine 41 is stopped.

A second wiring 52 connects the power supply device 50, the exit assist ECU 30, and various components 11-17. Regardless of the state of the start switch 80 (that is, whether the start switch 80 is on or off), power is supplied from the power supply device 50 to the exit assist ECU 30 and various components 11-17. Therefore, the vehicle control device can execute the getting-off restriction process even when the start switch 80 is in the OFF state.

The exit assist ECU 30 is connected to vehicle peripheral sensors (radar sensor 11 and camera sensor 12). The getting-off assistance ECU 30 receives a signal representing information (that is, object information) acquired by each of the vehicle surrounding sensors each time the predetermined time dT elapses. The getting-off assistance ECU 30 stores the object information obtained from the vehicle surroundings sensor in the RAM 30c as "vehicle surroundings information".

The exit assist ECU 30 is connected to the door switch 13 . The exit assist ECU 30 can detect opening and closing operations of the doors 25a to 25d based on signals from the door switches 13, respectively.

The getting-off assistance ECU 30 is connected to the getting-off restricting device (the door lock device 14, the display device 15, and the voice generator 16). The getting-off support ECU 30 controls the getting-off restricting device and causes the getting-off restricting device to execute the getting-off restricting process. The details of the getting-off restriction process will be described later.

Furthermore, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 can change the state of each of the getting-off restricting devices between the first state and the second state. The first state is a state of receiving power supply from the power supply device 50 and consuming power, and is also called an "on state", a "standby state", or an "operating state". When the state of the getting-off restriction device is in the first state, this means that the getting-off restriction device can operate according to an instruction from the getting-off assistance ECU 30 . The second state is a state in which power consumption is smaller than that in the first state. The second state is an off state in which power is not supplied from the power supply device 50, or a power saving state in which power consumption is relatively low. The "off state" may also be referred to as the "non-operating state." When the getting-off restriction device is in the off state, this means that the getting-off restriction device cannot operate in accordance with instructions from the getting-off assistance ECU 30 because power is not supplied from the power supply device 50 . The "power saving state" may also be referred to as a "sleep state". When the get-off restriction device is in the power saving state, this means that the get-off restriction device receives a relatively small amount of power from the power supply device 50, but cannot operate in accordance with instructions from the get-off assistance ECU 30. .

The exit assist ECU 30 is connected to the vehicle speed sensor 17 . The exit assist ECU 30 receives a signal representing the speed (running speed) SPD of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle speed sensor 17 .

(Overview of getting off restriction processing)
Next, the get-off restriction processing will be described. Since the getting-off restriction process itself is known (see Patent Document 1 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-078959, etc.), the contents thereof will be briefly described.

The getting-off assistance ECU 30 detects a getting-off action, which is an action of the passenger trying to get off the vehicle. Specific examples of getting off the vehicle include, for example, an operation to open a door, an operation to a switch for operating a door lock, a predetermined change in the seating posture of a passenger (for example, a change in the posture of a passenger assumed when getting off the vehicle), and The movement of the passenger (for example, the movement of the passenger assumed when getting off the vehicle) and the like can be mentioned. In this example, the exit assist ECU 30 determines whether or not the exit operation has been performed based on the signals from each of the door switches 13 . The getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that the getting-off operation has been performed when the signal of the door switch 13 changes from the OFF signal to the ON signal.

When the getting-off operation is performed, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines whether or not there is an object to be subjected to the getting-off restriction process (hereinafter referred to as "target object") based on the vehicle peripheral information. A target object is an object that the passenger should pay attention to when getting off the vehicle, and in this example, a moving object that is approaching the vehicle 10 from behind. Moving objects are, for example, pedestrians, bicycles, and other vehicles.

In the example of FIG. 3, there is a moving object MO around the vehicle 10 . In such a case, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 detects the moving object MO based on the vehicle surrounding information. Then, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines whether or not the moving object MO is a target object.

Specifically, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines whether or not both the following condition A1 and condition A2 are satisfied for the moving object MO. Conditions A1 and A2 are collectively referred to as "target object conditions". When the target object condition is satisfied for the moving object MO, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that the moving object MO is the target object.
(Condition A1): The moving object MO is approaching the vehicle 10 from behind.
(Condition A2): The predicted time Tk of the moving object MO is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time threshold Tth.

The predicted time Tk of condition A2 is the time until the moving object MO reaches the predetermined area As. The predetermined area As is an area obtained by extending the vehicle width Cw to both the left and right sides by a distance α with reference to the area occupied by the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle 10 . For example, the distance α is the sum of the maximum door opening width Wmax (see, for example, door 25c in FIG. 3) and a predetermined margin M. Note that the predetermined area As is not limited to this example. The exit assist ECU 30 divides the distance La1 between the predetermined area As and the moving object MO by the speed (relative speed) of the moving object MO with respect to the vehicle 10 to calculate the predicted time Tk. Note that the predicted time Tk may also be referred to as TTC (Time to collision).

In the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the target object condition holds for the moving object MO. In this case, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 executes the getting-off restriction process.

The getting-off restriction processing includes warning processing for opening the doors 25a to 25d and opening restriction processing for restricting the opening of the doors 25a to 25d. Specifically, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 executes a process of displaying a warning sign on the display device 15 and causing the voice generator 16 to utter a warning message as the warning process. The warning message is a message that informs that the moving object MO is approaching the vehicle 10 from behind. This makes it possible to notify the passenger of the presence of the moving object MO. Further, the exit assist ECU 30 executes a process of controlling the door lock devices 14a to 14d to change the doors 25a to 25d from unlocked to locked as the opening operation restriction process. Since the opening operation of the doors 25a to 25d is restricted, the occupants cannot get off the vehicle. This can prevent the occupant from approaching the moving object MO.

Note that the exit assist ECU 30 may execute the opening operation restriction process according to the position of the moving object MO. For example, when the moving object MO is present at the right rear of the vehicle 10, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 may control only the door lock devices 14a and 14c to restrict only the opening operation of the doors 25a and 25c. When the moving object MO is present at the left rear of the vehicle 10, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 may control only the door lock devices 14b and 14d to restrict only the opening operation of the doors 25b and 25d.

After starting the getting-off restriction process, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines whether or not a predetermined termination condition is satisfied based on the vehicle peripheral information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the end condition is that the moving object MO is moving away from the vehicle 10, and the distance between the predetermined area As and the moving object MO is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value Dth. established when When the termination condition is satisfied, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 terminates the getting-off restriction process.

(Outline of operation)
In the conventional device, the power supply device continues to supply power to the deboarding restriction device even after the occupant has finished getting off the vehicle. Therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption of the power supply device increases.

Therefore, the getting-off assist ECU 30 provides first information as to whether or not the vehicle 10 has traveled, and second information as to whether or not the doors 25a to 25d have been opened or closed. and determines whether or not an occupant is present in the vehicle 10 . When the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that an occupant is present in the vehicle 10, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 sets the state of the getting-off restriction device to the first state. When the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that no occupant is present in the vehicle 10, the getting-off support ECU 30 sets the state of the getting-off restriction device to the second state.

In this example, the exit assist ECU 30 uses the running flag XA as the first information. The exit assist ECU 30 stores the running flag XA in the nonvolatile memory 30e. The travel flag XA is information indicating whether or not a driving operation of the vehicle 10 has been performed. The running flag XA is "0" at the time when the driving operation of the vehicle 10 is started (that is, at the time when the start switch 80 is changed from the OFF state to the ON state). The running flag XA is set to "1" when the vehicle speed SPD reaches or exceeds a predetermined speed threshold value Vth. Therefore, the exit assist ECU 30 can determine whether or not the vehicle 10 has traveled based on the value of the travel flag XA.

Note that the exit assist ECU 30 resets the travel flag XA to "0" when a predetermined travel flag reset condition is satisfied. The travel flag reset condition is a condition for determining whether the travel of the vehicle 10 has ended (whether the driving operation of the vehicle 10 has ended). The running flag reset condition is met when both the following condition B1 and condition B2 are met.
(Condition B1): The start switch 80 is off.
(Condition B2): A state in which none of the doors 25a to 25d are operated has passed for a predetermined period of time equal to or longer than the threshold value Tpth.

The exit assist ECU 30 uses the change in the signal from the door switch 13 as the second information. The exit assist ECU 30 determines whether or not an opening/closing operation has been performed based on a signal from the door switch 13 . For example, the case of the door switch 13a will be described. The driver opens and closes the door 25a to get off the vehicle. In this case, the signal from the door switch 13a changes from the OFF signal to the ON signal, and then changes from the ON signal to the OFF signal. When the exit assist ECU 30 detects such a series of signal changes, it determines that the door 25a has been opened or closed.

The exit assist ECU 30 sets (updates) the value of the occupant flag XB* shown in FIG. 5 based on the first information and the second information. Here, "*" indicates any one of "a, b, c and d". The getting-off assistance ECU 30 stores the occupant flag XB* in the non-volatile memory 30e.

As shown in FIG. 1, vehicle 10 includes four seats 26a-26d. The occupant flag XB* is a flag indicating whether or not there is an occupant in the seat 26*. The value of the occupant flag XB* is set to "0" when it is estimated that there is no occupant on the seat 26*, and is set to "1" when it is estimated that there is an occupant on the seat 26*.

The occupant flag XBa is a flag indicating whether or not an occupant is present in the driver's seat (the seat 26a corresponding to the door 25a). The occupant flag XBb is a flag indicating whether or not an occupant is present in the front passenger seat (the seat 26b corresponding to the door 25b). The occupant flag XBc is a flag indicating whether or not an occupant is present in the right rear seat (the seat 26c corresponding to the door 25c). The occupant flag XBd is a flag indicating whether or not an occupant is present in the left rear seat (the seat 26d corresponding to the door 25d).

Hereinafter, the driver's seat will be referred to as the "first seat", and the seats other than the driver's seat will be referred to as the "second seat".

For example, assume that start switch 80 is on. In this case, there is a high possibility that an occupant is present in the first seat. Therefore, the exit assist ECU 30 sets the value of the occupant flag XBa to "1". That is, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that an occupant is present in the first seat.

On the other hand, it is assumed that the occupant changes the start switch 80 from the ON state to the OFF state after the vehicle 10 has finished traveling (driving operation of the vehicle 10). At this time, the value of the running flag XA is "1". Assume that the door 25a corresponding to the first seat is opened and closed in this situation. In this case, there is a high possibility that the occupant in the first seat got off the vehicle. Therefore, the exit assist ECU 30 sets the value of the occupant flag XBa to "0". In this way, when the vehicle 10 is running and the door 25a corresponding to the first seat is opened and closed, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that there is no passenger in the first seat.

For example, before the passenger gets into the vehicle 10, the value of the running flag XA is "0". Assume that the door 25i is opened and closed in this situation. Here, "i" indicates any one of "b, c and d". In this case, there is a high possibility that the passenger has boarded the second seat corresponding to the door 25i. Therefore, the exit assist ECU 30 sets the value of the occupant flag XBi to "1". In this way, when the door 25i corresponding to the second seat is opened and closed without the vehicle 10 running, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that there is an occupant in the second seat.

On the other hand, it is assumed that the door 25i is opened/closed after the vehicle 10 has finished traveling (driving operation of the vehicle 10). In this case, there is a high possibility that the occupant in the second seat corresponding to door 25i has gotten off. Therefore, the exit assist ECU 30 sets the value of the occupant flag XBi to "0". In this way, when the vehicle 10 is running and the door 25i corresponding to the second seat is opened and closed, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 determines that there is no occupant in the second seat.

The exit assist ECU 30 updates the occupant flag XB* as described above based on the first information and the second information, thereby determining whether or not the occupant is present in the vehicle 10 . When at least one of the occupant flags XBa to XBd is “1”, the exit assist ECU 30 determines that the occupant is present in the vehicle 10 . In this case, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 sets the state of the getting-off restricting device (the door lock device 14, the display device 15, and the sound generator 16) to the first state.

On the other hand, when all of the occupant flags XBa to XBd are “0”, the exit assist ECU 30 determines that no occupant is present in the vehicle 10 . In this case, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 sets the state of the getting-off restricting device (the door lock device 14, the display device 15, and the sound generating device 16) to the second state. When no occupants are present in the vehicle 10, power consumption in the deboarding restraint device is eliminated or reduced. Therefore, the power consumption of the power supply device 50 can be suppressed.

(activation)
Next, the operation of the CPU 30a (simply referred to as "CPU") of the exit assist ECU 30 will be described. The CPU executes the routines of FIGS. 6 to 10 each time the predetermined time dT elapses.

At a predetermined timing, the CPU starts the routine of FIG. 6 from step 600, proceeds to step 601, and determines whether or not the running flag reset condition described above is satisfied. That is, the CPU determines whether or not both the condition B1 and the condition B2 are satisfied.

Assuming that the running flag reset condition is satisfied, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 601, proceeds to step 602, and sets the value of the running flag XA to "0". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 695 and once terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if the running flag reset condition is not satisfied, the CPU determines "No" in step 601, proceeds to step 603, and determines whether or not the vehicle speed SPD is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed threshold value Vth. If the vehicle speed SPD is greater than or equal to the predetermined speed threshold value Vth, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 603, proceeds to step 604, and sets the value of the running flag XA to "1". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 695 and once terminates this routine.

If the vehicle speed SPD is not equal to or greater than the predetermined speed threshold value Vth, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 603, proceeds directly to step 695, and temporarily terminates this routine. In this case, the value of the running flag XA is not changed.

Further, at a predetermined timing, the CPU starts the routine of FIG. 7 from step 700, proceeds to step 701, and determines whether or not the start switch 80 is on.

If the start switch 80 is on, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 701, proceeds to step 702, and sets the value of the occupant flag XBa to "1". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 795 and once terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if the start switch 80 is not on (the start switch 80 is off), the CPU determines "No" in step 701 and proceeds to step 703, where the door 25a is opened and closed. Determine whether or not it has been done. If the door 25a is opened or closed, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 703, proceeds to step 705, and sets the value of the occupant flag XBa to "0". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 795 and once terminates this routine.

If the door 25a has not been opened or closed, the CPU determines "No" in step 703, proceeds to step 704, and determines whether or not a predetermined occupant flag reset condition is satisfied. The occupant flag reset condition is satisfied when a state in which the door 25a is not operated continues for a predetermined period of time equal to or longer than the threshold value Tpth. If the occupant flag reset condition is satisfied, the CPU makes a "Yes" determination in step 704, proceeds to step 705, and sets the value of the occupant flag XBa to "0". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 795 and once terminates this routine.

If the occupant flag reset condition is not satisfied, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 704, proceeds directly to step 795, and temporarily terminates this routine.

Further, the CPU executes the routine of FIG. 8 for each door 25i. As above, "i" indicates any of "b, c and d". At a predetermined timing, the CPU starts the routine of FIG. 8 from step 800, proceeds to step 801, and determines whether or not the door 25i has been opened or closed. If the door 25i has not been opened or closed, the CPU determines "No" in step 801, proceeds directly to step 895, and ends this routine.

On the other hand, if the door 25i is opened or closed, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 801 and proceeds to step 802 to determine whether the value of the travel flag XA is "1". judge. When the value of the travel flag XA is "1", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 802, proceeds to step 803, and sets the value of the occupant flag XBi to "0". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 895 and once terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if the value of the travel flag XA is not "1", the CPU determines "No" in step 802, proceeds to step 804, and sets the value of the occupant flag XBi to "1". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 895 and once terminates this routine.

Further, at a predetermined timing, the CPU starts the routine of FIG. 9 from step 900, proceeds to step 901, and determines whether or not all of the occupant flags XBa to XBd are "0". When all of the occupant flags XBa to XBd are "0", the CPU makes a "Yes" determination in step 901, and sequentially performs the processing of "steps 902 and 903" described below. After that, the CPU proceeds to step 995 and once terminates this routine.
Step 902: The CPU sets the state of the getting-off restriction device to the second state.
Step 903: The CPU sets the value of the permission flag XC to "0". When the value of the permission flag XC is "0", this indicates that the get-off restriction process is prohibited because the state of the get-off restriction device is the second state. When the value of the permission flag XC is "1", this indicates that the get-off restriction process is permitted because the state of the get-off restriction device is the first state. The permission flag XC is used in the routine of FIG. 10, which will be described later.

On the other hand, if none of the occupant flags XBa to XBd are "0" (that is, at least one of the occupant flags XBa to XBd is "1"), the CPU determines "No" in step 901. Then, the processing of "step 904 and step 905" described below is performed in order. After that, the CPU proceeds to step 995 and once terminates this routine.
Step 904: The CPU sets the state of the getting-off restriction device to the first state.
Step 905: The CPU sets the value of the permission flag XC to "1".

Further, at a predetermined timing, the CPU starts the routine of FIG. 10 from step 1000, proceeds to step 1001, and determines whether or not the value of the permission flag XC is "1". If the value of the permission flag XC is not "1", the CPU determines "No" at step 1001, proceeds to step 1095, and terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if the value of the permission flag XC is "1", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 1001, proceeds to step 1002, and determines whether the value of the execution flag XD is "0". judge. When the execution flag XD has a value of "0", it indicates that the get-off restriction process is not being executed, and when its value is "1", it indicates that the get-off restriction process is being performed.

Now, assuming that the execution flag XD is "0", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 1002 and proceeds to step 1003 to determine whether the vehicle 10 is stopped (that is, the vehicle speed SPD is is “0”).

If the vehicle 10 is not stopped, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 1003, proceeds directly to step 1095, and terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if the vehicle 10 is stopped, the CPU makes a "Yes" determination in step 1003, proceeds to step 1004, and determines whether or not the user has exited the vehicle.

If the user has not exited the vehicle, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 1004, proceeds directly to step 1095, and terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if the user has exited the vehicle, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 1004 and proceeds to step 1005 to determine whether there is a moving object around the vehicle 10 based on the vehicle surrounding information. determine whether

If the moving object does not exist, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 1005, proceeds directly to step 1095, and temporarily terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if a moving object exists, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 1005 and proceeds to step 1006 to determine whether or not the target object condition is satisfied for the moving object.

If the target object condition is not satisfied, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 1006, proceeds directly to step 1095, and temporarily terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if the target object condition is satisfied, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 1006, and sequentially performs the processing of "steps 1007 and 1008" described below. After that, the CPU proceeds to step 1095 and once terminates this routine.
Step 1007: The CPU sets the value of the execution flag XD to "1".
Step 1008: The CPU executes the get-off restriction process as described above.

When the CPU starts the routine of FIG. 10 again from step 1000 after starting the get-off restriction process, the execution flag XD is "1", so the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 1002 and proceeds to step 1009. Then, it is determined whether or not the termination condition described above is satisfied. If the termination condition is not satisfied, the CPU determines “No” in step 1009 and proceeds to step 1008 . Therefore, the getting-off restriction process is continued.

On the other hand, if the termination condition is satisfied, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 1009, proceeds to step 1010, and sets the value of the execution flag XD to "0". This completes the getting-off restriction process.

The vehicle control device having the above configuration updates the value of the occupant flag XB* shown in FIG. Then, it is determined whether an occupant is present in the vehicle 10 or not. When the vehicle control device determines that no occupant is present in the vehicle 10, it sets the state of the getting-off restriction device to the second state. After all the passengers get off the vehicle 10, power consumption in the getting-off restriction device becomes smaller than in the first state. Therefore, the power consumption of the power supply device 50 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the charge/discharge amount of the battery of the power supply device 50 is reduced, the failure rate of the battery can be reduced, that is, the life of the battery can be lengthened.

More specifically, the vehicle control device determines whether or not there is an occupant in the first seat as follows. It is assumed that the value of the travel flag XA is "1" and that the door 25a corresponding to the first seat has been opened or closed while the start switch 80 is in the OFF state. In such a case, there is a high possibility that the occupant in the first seat got off the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle control device sets the value of the occupant flag XBa corresponding to the first seat to "0". On the other hand, when the start switch 80 is on, there is a high possibility that the passenger is in the first seat. Therefore, the vehicle control device sets the value of the occupant flag XBa corresponding to the first seat to "1". According to this configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not an occupant is present in the first seat.

Furthermore, the vehicle control device determines whether or not there is an occupant in the second seat as follows. Assume that the value of the running flag XA is "1" and that the door 25i corresponding to the second seat has been opened or closed. In such a case, there is a high possibility that the occupant in the second seat got off the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle control device sets the value of the occupant flag XBi corresponding to the second seat to "0". On the other hand, it is assumed that the value of the travel flag XA is "0" and that the door 25i corresponding to the second seat has been opened or closed. In such a case, there is a high possibility that the occupant has entered the vehicle 10 and is in the second seat. Therefore, the vehicle control device sets the value of the occupant flag XBi corresponding to the second seat to "1". According to this configuration, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not an occupant is present in the second seat.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention.

(Modification 1)
Occupants may load luggage into the vehicle. For example, assume that the driver opens the door 25c and puts a load on the right rear seat. In this case, the value of the occupant flag XBc is set to "1". After that, it is assumed that the vehicle travels a plurality of times without unloading the cargo. In this case, the value of the occupant flag XBc remains "1". Since the getting-off restriction device does not enter the second state, the power consumption of the power supply device 50 increases.

Considering the above, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 counts the number of trips from the time when the occupant flag XBi is set to "1". Here, "a period from when the start switch 80 is set to the ON state to when the start switch 80 is turned to the OFF state" is defined as "one trip". Therefore, the number of trips can also be said to be the number of runs of the vehicle. When the occupant flag XBi remains at "1" despite the fact that trips have been made a predetermined number of times since the time when the occupant flag XBi was set to "1", the getting-off assistance ECU 30 resets the occupant flag Assume that there is no occupant in seat 26i corresponding to XBi. That is, it is assumed that the occupant flag XBi is set to "1" due to an action other than the passenger's boarding (for example, the above-described action of loading luggage). Therefore, the exit assist ECU 30 resets the value of the occupant flag XBi to "0". In this manner, the getting-off assistance ECU 30 counts the number of trips (the number of times the vehicle 10 travels), and even if the number of trips reaches a predetermined number, the occupant flag XBi remains "1". , the occupant is not present in the second seat corresponding to the occupant flag XBi. This prevents the erroneous determination that the occupant is in the second seat from being maintained. Since the getting-off restriction device is in the second state, the power consumption of the power supply device 50 can be suppressed.

(Modification 2)
The get-off restriction process is not limited to the above example. The getting-off restriction process may include only one of the warning process and the opening operation restriction process.

In another example, the warning process of the getting-off restriction process may include lighting process. The lighting process may be a process of lighting the following light generating device.
・Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) system and/or warning lights provided by door indicators, etc. ・Bulbs and/or light-emitting elements installed in the vehicle

In yet another example, the warning process of the getting-off restriction process may include vibration processing. The vibration processing may be processing for driving the following vibration generator.
・Motors and/or vibrators installed on and/or inside the steering wheel ・Motors and/or vibrators installed on and/or inside the seats

Therefore, the exit restriction device can include at least one device selected from the group consisting of the door lock device 14, the display device 15, the sound generator 16, the light generator, and the vibration generator.

(Modification 3)
The exit assist ECU may use other information as the second information as long as it can detect the door opening/closing operation. For example, the exit assist ECU may detect opening and closing of the door using a sensor that detects contact with the door lever.

(Modification 4)
The conditions of step 603 in FIG. 6 are not limited to the above example. The condition of step 603 may be another condition as long as it is a condition for determining that the driving operation of the vehicle 10 has been performed. For example, the condition of step 603 may be a condition that is met when at least one of the accelerator pedal, brake pedal and steering wheel is operated. The condition of step 603 may be a condition that is met when the traveling distance of the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance threshold.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Vehicle, 11a-11e... Radar sensor, 12a-12d... Camera sensor, 13a-13d... Door switch, 14a-14d... Door lock device, 15... Display device, 16... Voice generator, 30... Getting-off assistance ECU, 40... Drive ECU, 80... Engine start switch.

Claims (5)

a power supply installed in a vehicle;
a vehicle surroundings sensor configured to acquire vehicle surroundings information including object information about objects existing around the vehicle;
A getting-off restricting device configured to execute a getting-off restricting process including at least one of an alarm process for an opening operation of the vehicle door and an opening operation restricting process for restricting the opening operation, the getting-off restricting apparatus comprising: a getting-off restriction device configured to be settable to one of the second state and the second state;
a control unit configured to cause the getting-off restricting device to execute the getting-off restricting process when it is determined that there is an object to be careful of when an occupant in the vehicle gets off based on the vehicle surrounding information;
with
The first state is a state of receiving power supply from the power supply device and consuming the power,
the second state is a state in which the power consumption is smaller than that in the first state;
The control unit is
Based on first information, which is information as to whether or not the vehicle has run, and second information, which is information as to whether or not the door has been opened or closed, the occupant can determine whether it exists in the vehicle,
setting the state of the getting-off restriction device to the first state when it is determined that the occupant is present in the vehicle;
configured to set the state of the get-off restriction device to the second state when it is determined that the occupant is not present in the vehicle;
Vehicle controller. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
a switch that is changed from an off state to an on state when the occupant starts driving the vehicle, and is changed from the on state to the off state when the occupant finishes driving the vehicle; ,
The control unit is configured to determine whether the occupant is present in the first seat, which is the driver's seat,
The control unit, in a situation where the switch is in the off state,
When it is determined based on the first information and the second information that the vehicle is running and the door corresponding to the first seat is opened and closed, the occupant configured to determine that it does not exist in the seat,
Vehicle controller. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The control unit is configured to determine whether the occupant is present in a second seat other than the first seat that is the driver's seat,
The control unit is
When it is determined based on the first information and the second information that the vehicle is running and the door corresponding to the second seat is opened and closed,
configured to determine that the occupant is not present in the second seat;
Vehicle controller. In the vehicle control device according to claim 3,
The control unit is
When it is determined based on the first information and the second information that the door corresponding to the second seat has been opened and closed without the vehicle running,
configured to determine that the occupant is present in the second seat;
Vehicle controller. In the vehicle control device according to claim 4,
The control unit is
counting the number of times the vehicle travels;
determining that the occupant is not present in the second seat when the determination that the occupant is present in the second seat is maintained even after the number of times of travel reaches a predetermined number of times. was
Vehicle controller.

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